Czapek

[eiesh]

Imagine if this was made in Ceramic

Credit: IG of Czapekian

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[BrunoMalik]

Originally Posted by eiesh

Imagine if this was made in Ceramic

Credit: IG of Czapekian

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Wooow, love it. Would be a direct rival to the Ceramic APs.


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[uscmatt99]

My Antarctique arrived today, fantastic watch. I’ll post up some pics and initial impressions tomorrow.

[sk00]

Originally Posted by thewatchidiot

When setting the time, the second hand was somewhat tied to the minute hand so I couldn’t set the time accurately.
Since it’s there, I’m also having the bracelet fully brushed.

Good call on fully brushing the bracelet. I had mine fully brushed before taking initial delivery and very much prefer the more subdued, less sparkly look. I also had to get my Terre Adelie serviced a couple of months ago due to a faulty date change mechanism. I didn't ask at the time, but I feel like some upgrades were made during service -- for instance, the winding feels much smoother than how I remember it being. Btw, service experience was extremely positive with my dealer (Cellini), Mike Margolis, Pierre, Xavier all on a single email chain, responding promptly, and very eager to help.

[Allanmodel]

Originally Posted by BrunoMalik

Here is one more:





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WOW............This one looks cool~~

[uscmatt99]

I received my Antarctique yesterday and have had some time to bond with it. I though I'd post up some pics and commentary.

The box is pretty unique as far as watch boxes go. Rather than just a presentation box with a watch on a pillow and a compartment for little bits, this one comes as an entirely useful kit. The watch and pillow are in the central black box. The surrounding C-shaped grey compartment serves as both a tool kit and part of the display if one desires.

Czapek by uscmatt99, on Flickr

The central black box is removable and can be reoriented to display the watch, or used as a small travel case. The box is made of a hard plastic material, and there is a soft spongy material on the bottom so that it won't slide around on a hard surface. The took kit contains the clasp and rubber straps (or leather if that's what you chose when ordering), a pin remover, a screwdriver, a tool specifically for the quick-release to swap bracelet and strap, an instruction manual, a "passport" with typical info included on papers or cards and to track service, and extra links, tubes, and pins. As it shipped, it would probably fit a 7" wrist well, and there were 4 extra links, as well as 2 extra extended links. Additionally, there is a blockchain based proof of ownership you register for digitally, which I have not yet investigated. I think this helps track changes in ownership?

Czapek by uscmatt99, on Flickr

I adjusted the bracelet myself to my 6.75" wrist, and it took some experimentation. I ended up with 7 links on one side, 6 on the other. On each side, I needed to use one extended link. This yielded a perfect fit for me, where I can slide it up and down my wrist if I want to, but it sticks in place on the forearm side of my "wrist bone" where I like it. A couple of the pins were REALLY tight and I was worried I was going to break or scratch something, but some patience got me through the task. Once I'm sure on the sizing, I'll cut the rubber strap to size. It's held in the clasp with 4 prongs which set into matching holes. I think it's sized in 3mm increments for each side of the band. As is stands, I kept the longer side of the bracelet with 7 links on the thumb side of my wrist facing me, then I don't have to be distracted by the extra long link that sits along the bottom of the wrist. The clasp is pretty short and low profile, so even though it's off center on the bottom of my wrist, it doesn't wrap over the side like some of those annoying single deployants.

Czapek by uscmatt99, on Flickr

Czapek by uscmatt99, on Flickr

The movement has been photographed numerous times, here are a couple from my iPhone. Simply gorgeous. The contrasting hues as well as the overall architecture are a joy to behold. The microrotor allows it to have that manual movement visual appeal with the convenience of a self-winding piece. You can definitely hear the rotor spinning, I'm guessing there are ceramic bearings.

Czapek by uscmatt99, on Flickr

Czapek by uscmatt99, on Flickr

I went with the white dial, after initially considering the blue dial. My wife has a good eye and I trust her judgements on these things when I'm indecisive, and she felt that the white was striking and unique compared to my other watches. So white it was! This is really one you need to see on the wrist under various lighting. The applied indices sparkle and are multifaceted and give the dial some depth. The 12 is a font that I don't love, but is part of the identity of the brand. Given that they strayed pretty far from the Quai des Bergues design-wise with a sports watch, I'm glad they kept this element overall. The hands have a sporty feel, but they kept the classic shape from some of the hands on other models and incorporated it into the counterbalance on the seconds hand, a nice touch. The dial itself is dynamic with varying contrast depending on how the light hits the flinque pattern, which I tried to show in the pictures above. Overall it's very legible in most lighting, something I was worried about with the white dial. The lume is nothing to write home about, I wish it was a bit more luminous, given that it's billed as a sports watch.

The watch setting experience is a pleasure. For the crown, the first position is locked and required for 120m water resistance. The second position is for manual winding. The third is for quick setting the date. The fourth is for setting the time. The crown is comfortable, more so than my FPJ and Omegas, similar to my Rolex Explorer but a bit bigger in diameter. Manual winding to get things going is smooooooooth and easy, as is setting the date and time. The hands don't jump at all when pushing in the crown (ahem Rolex). Honestly the feel reminded me of a few Lange's I've handled. We will see how it settles in, I'm at about 6-7 seconds fast over the first 24 hours.

I have mixed feelings about the bracelet. The cons first. It's a bit loosey-goosey feeling. With an oyster bracelet, the tolerances are tight. With this one, there is just a bit of jangle. It's also quite angular, especially on the sides where the corner is 90 degrees. I would have liked to see some beveling for an extra reflective surface like AP does. The plusses. The bracelet is light with just enough weightiness to feel like jewelry. The degree of articulation at each link juncture will allow this to fit a large variety of wrist sizes and shapes. With AP, I found this problematic every time I tried one on. I love the look of AP bracelets, but have a hard time with the angle of the lug and first link. Either a bit too flared with a 15202, or a bit too steep with a 15x00. This one sits perfectly on the wrist. And it looks thin from the side due to the stacked look of the crystal, bezel, main case body, and the caseback.

Overall I'm very pleased with this piece, a great addition to my small collection.

[BrunoMalik]

Originally Posted by uscmatt99

I received my Antarctique yesterday and have had some time to bond with it. I though I'd post up some pics and commentary.

The box is pretty unique as far as watch boxes go. Rather than just a presentation box with a watch on a pillow and a compartment for little bits, this one comes as an entirely useful kit. The watch and pillow are in the central black box. The surrounding C-shaped grey compartment serves as both a tool kit and part of the display if one desires.

Czapek by uscmatt99, on Flickr

The central black box is removable and can be reoriented to display the watch, or used as a small travel case. The box is made of a hard plastic material, and there is a soft spongy material on the bottom so that it won't slide around on a hard surface. The took kit contains the clasp and rubber straps (or leather if that's what you chose when ordering), a pin remover, a screwdriver, a tool specifically for the quick-release to swap bracelet and strap, an instruction manual, a "passport" with typical info included on papers or cards and to track service, and extra links, tubes, and pins. As it shipped, it would probably fit a 7" wrist well, and there were 4 extra links, as well as 2 extra extended links. Additionally, there is a blockchain based proof of ownership you register for digitally, which I have not yet investigated. I think this helps track changes in ownership?

Czapek by uscmatt99, on Flickr

I adjusted the bracelet myself to my 6.75" wrist, and it took some experimentation. I ended up with 7 links on one side, 6 on the other. On each side, I needed to use one extended link. This yielded a perfect fit for me, where I can slide it up and down my wrist if I want to, but it sticks in place on the forearm side of my "wrist bone" where I like it. A couple of the pins were REALLY tight and I was worried I was going to break or scratch something, but some patience got me through the task. Once I'm sure on the sizing, I'll cut the rubber strap to size. It's held in the clasp with 4 prongs which set into matching holes. I think it's sized in 3mm increments for each side of the band. As is stands, I kept the longer side of the bracelet with 7 links on the thumb side of my wrist facing me, then I don't have to be distracted by the extra long link that sits along the bottom of the wrist. The clasp is pretty short and low profile, so even though it's off center on the bottom of my wrist, it doesn't wrap over the side like some of those annoying single deployants.

Czapek by uscmatt99, on Flickr

Czapek by uscmatt99, on Flickr

The movement has been photographed numerous times, here are a couple from my iPhone. Simply gorgeous. The contrasting hues as well as the overall architecture are a joy to behold. The microrotor allows it to have that manual movement visual appeal with the convenience of a self-winding piece. You can definitely hear the rotor spinning, I'm guessing there are ceramic bearings.

Czapek by uscmatt99, on Flickr

Czapek by uscmatt99, on Flickr

I went with the white dial, after initially considering the blue dial. My wife has a good eye and I trust her judgements on these things when I'm indecisive, and she felt that the white was striking and unique compared to my other watches. So white it was! This is really one you need to see on the wrist under various lighting. The applied indices sparkle and are multifaceted and give the dial some depth. The 12 is a font that I don't love, but is part of the identity of the brand. Given that they strayed pretty far from the Quai des Bergues design-wise with a sports watch, I'm glad they kept this element overall. The hands have a sporty feel, but they kept the classic shape from some of the hands on other models and incorporated it into the counterbalance on the seconds hand, a nice touch. The dial itself is dynamic with varying contrast depending on how the light hits the flinque pattern, which I tried to show in the pictures above. Overall it's very legible in most lighting, something I was worried about with the white dial. The lume is nothing to write home about, I wish it was a bit more luminous, given that it's billed as a sports watch.

The watch setting experience is a pleasure. For the crown, the first position is locked and required for 120m water resistance. The second position is for manual winding. The third is for quick setting the date. The fourth is for setting the time. The crown is comfortable, more so than my FPJ and Omegas, similar to my Rolex Explorer but a bit bigger in diameter. Manual winding to get things going is smooooooooth and easy, as is setting the date and time. The hands don't jump at all when pushing in the crown (ahem Rolex). Honestly the feel reminded me of a few Lange's I've handled. We will see how it settles in, I'm at about 6-7 seconds fast over the first 24 hours.

I have mixed feelings about the bracelet. The cons first. It's a bit loosey-goosey feeling. With an oyster bracelet, the tolerances are tight. With this one, there is just a bit of jangle. It's also quite angular, especially on the sides where the corner is 90 degrees. I would have liked to see some beveling for an extra reflective surface like AP does. The plusses. The bracelet is light with just enough weightiness to feel like jewelry. The degree of articulation at each link juncture will allow this to fit a large variety of wrist sizes and shapes. With AP, I found this problematic every time I tried one on. I love the look of AP bracelets, but have a hard time with the angle of the lug and first link. Either a bit too flared with a 15202, or a bit too steep with a 15x00. This one sits perfectly on the wrist. And it looks thin from the side due to the stacked look of the crystal, bezel, main case body, and the caseback.

Overall I'm very pleased with this piece, a great addition to my small collection.

Congrats mate, stunning piece.


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[Allanmodel]

Congrats on the new toy~~

[dchang81]

thanks for the write up, looks great. i agree about the 12, only thing that gets me

[WatchEater666]

Wow. Great shots. They really need to go HAM with the skeletonization variants. Shame to hide that movement :)

[mongrelnomoad]

Congrats! Absolutely gorgeous... I'm a sucker for a white dial.

I agree about the 12 - one of the reasons I'm happy I opted for the Terre Adelie. That said, the Fratello version has the claw at 12 but the Passage de Drake's textured pyramidal texture. Probably the best of both worlds.

Enjoy it in good health!

[GB-man]

Congrats matt

Enjoy it

[thewatchidiot]

You did a very nice review here and congratulations on your new Czapek.
This may seem sacrilegious, but I many times use a small cut piece of leather taped on the underside of the bracelet for both comfort and best fit. I use double sided gaffer tape. Gaffer tape does not leave any sticky residue on the surface when removed.

[uscmatt99]

Originally Posted by BrunoMalik

Congrats mate, stunning piece.


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Originally Posted by Allanmodel

Congrats on the new toy~~

Thanks guys

Originally Posted by dchang81

thanks for the write up, looks great. i agree about the 12, only thing that gets me

The 12 is the main design feature that will be a sticking point for some. Given the popularity of the Fratello release, I wonder if they will make the 12 vs double claw index an option in the future, similar to how the seconds hand coloring is an option when ordering.

Originally Posted by WatchEater666

Wow. Great shots. They really need to go HAM with the skeletonization variants. Shame to hide that movement :)

Agreed, a skeletonized version would be amazing. The Rattrapante shows they can pull off a nicely done skeleton.

Originally Posted by mongrelnomoad

Congrats! Absolutely gorgeous... I'm a sucker for a white dial.

I agree about the 12 - one of the reasons I'm happy I opted for the Terre Adelie. That said, the Fratello version has the claw at 12 but the Passage de Drake's textured pyramidal texture. Probably the best of both worlds.

Enjoy it in good health!

I was too late on the Terre Adelie, I would have loved a blue dial version of that dial. Your review was fantastic, and affirmed my purchase of this piece to be sure.

Originally Posted by GB-man

Congrats matt

Enjoy it

Thanks Tom

Originally Posted by thewatchidiot

You did a very nice review here and congratulations on your new Czapek.
This may seem sacrilegious, but I many times use a small cut piece of leather taped on the underside of the bracelet for both comfort and best fit. I use double sided gaffer tape. Gaffer tape does not leave any sticky residue on the surface when removed.

Haha we are a gaffer tape family, I got some for my camera stuff to make it more junky looking while traveling, and we use it for all sorts of stuff since it doesn't leave residue. For now, I think I have the fit perfectly dialed in.

[Nicof]

Originally Posted by uscmatt99

Thanks guys



The 12 is the main design feature that will be a sticking point for some. Given the popularity of the Fratello release, I wonder if they will make the 12 vs double claw index an option in the future, similar to how the seconds hand coloring is an option when ordering.



Agreed, a skeletonized version would be amazing. The Rattrapante shows they can pull off a nicely done skeleton.



I was too late on the Terre Adelie, I would have loved a blue dial version of that dial. Your review was fantastic, and affirmed my purchase of this piece to be sure.



Thanks Tom



Haha we are a gaffer tape family, I got some for my camera stuff to make it more junky looking while traveling, and we use it for all sorts of stuff since it doesn't leave residue. For now, I think I have the fit perfectly dialed in.

You can ask them for the double claw index on the passage de drake and they will do it at a reasonable cost.


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[mikemargolis]

Originally Posted by uscmatt99

I received my Antarctique yesterday and have had some time to bond with it. I though I'd post up some pics and commentary.

Congratulations Matt!

Mike Margolis
Czapek Americas

[kimodaz]

Czapek Emerald Iceberg Antarctique has landed.This is an incredibly beautiful watch
I want to thank Xavier and the guys at Czapek and my friend Mike Margolis for making this all possible.

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[BrunoMalik]

Originally Posted by kimodaz

Czapek Emerald Iceberg Antarctique has landed.This is an incredibly beautiful watch
I want to thank Xavier and the guys at Czapek and my friend Mike Margolis for making this all possible.

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Congrats! This is absolutely amazing. I cant wait for mine


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[Allanmodel]

Just placed an order for a Passage de Drake (dark blue w full red hand)

7 months wait list~~

PS. Many thanks to Pierre~~

[mongrelnomoad]

Originally Posted by Allanmodel

Just placed an order for a Passage de Drake (dark blue w full red hand)

7 months wait list~~

PS. Many thanks to Pierre~~

Wow. Delighted for Xavier and the team that the brand is (rightfully) gaining so much traction.

[uscmatt99]

Originally Posted by Allanmodel

Just placed an order for a Passage de Drake (dark blue w full red hand)

7 months wait list~~

PS. Many thanks to Pierre~~

Congratulations, that’s going to round out your collection nicely!

[Allanmodel]

Originally Posted by uscmatt99

Congratulations, that’s going to round out your collection nicely!

Thanks uscmatt99~~

Indeed! but, still trying to get hold of the FPJ and MB&F (trying very hard)~~

[BrunoMalik]

Originally Posted by Allanmodel

Just placed an order for a Passage de Drake (dark blue w full red hand)

7 months wait list~~

PS. Many thanks to Pierre~~

Congrats on the news piece and can agree Pierre from Czapek is awesome.

I think you got in just before the hype is unleashed. They are picking up steam very quickly.


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[AG23]

Originally Posted by kimodaz

Czapek Emerald Iceberg Antarctique has landed.This is an incredibly beautiful watch
I want to thank Xavier and the guys at Czapek and my friend Mike Margolis for making this all possible.

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Wow- what a dial! Huge congrats- it’s a northern lights show on your wrist!!

More pics please

[uniqueMR]

Gorgeous

[Stranger]

Originally Posted by uscmatt99

I received my Antarctique yesterday and have had some time to bond with it. I though I'd post up some pics and commentary.

Thank you for the write up and the beautiful pictures. Congratulations!

[uscmatt99]

Originally Posted by JDelage

Thank you for the write up and the beautiful pictures. Congratulations!

Thanks! I've been wearing it daily since I got it. Bracelet is sized just right, snug at its tightest and a bit of slide at its loosest, very comfortable overall. I still plan on purchasing the microadjust clasp once it's released. This will definitely compete with my Explorer for wrist time, so I'm glad I went with the white dial.

The 12 is growing on me. It's proportionate to the size of the other hour indices and is integral to the DNA of the brand. Of course, if I'd gone with the double claw, I'd find a way to justify that choice as well! The dial is very well done, it's so fun to see how dynamic it is in different lighting, always easy to read.

The only slight bummer is that it's around 7s fast per day consistently. I'm sure it could be regulated to perform better, and it's no biggie as I can adjust it weekly and a minute off every 8 days is not going to make me late for an appointment. The movement continues to wow me visually, and it's pretty cool that you can feel and hear the platinum microrotor spin when you give your wrist a flick.

[mikemargolis]

Congrats kimodaz!

She's a beauty, wear it in the best of health!

Mike Margolis
Czapek Americas

[dchang81]

Originally Posted by uscmatt99

Thanks! I've been wearing it daily since I got it. Bracelet is sized just right, snug at its tightest and a bit of slide at its loosest, very comfortable overall. I still plan on purchasing the microadjust clasp once it's released. This will definitely compete with my Explorer for wrist time, so I'm glad I went with the white dial.

The 12 is growing on me. It's proportionate to the size of the other hour indices and is integral to the DNA of the brand. Of course, if I'd gone with the double claw, I'd find a way to justify that choice as well! The dial is very well done, it's so fun to see how dynamic it is in different lighting, always easy to read.

The only slight bummer is that it's around 7s fast per day consistently. I'm sure it could be regulated to perform better, and it's no biggie as I can adjust it weekly and a minute off every 8 days is not going to make me late for an appointment. The movement continues to wow me visually, and it's pretty cool that you can feel and hear the platinum microrotor spin when you give your wrist a flick.

there's no microadjust, or half link? the links seem a bit big to not have a half link. somehow no watch fits me without a half link, had to get it for my 15202 and 5711

[mongrelnomoad]

Originally Posted by dchang81

there's no microadjust, or half link? the links seem a bit big to not have a half link. somehow no watch fits me without a half link, had to get it for my 15202 and 5711

There’s a half and a 1.25 link included in the box.